Casket skid plate for hearses



Jam.` .10, 1939.4 E. L, scHoFn-:LD 2,143,285

GASKET SKID PLATE FOR HEARSES Filed 0G11. 25, 1936 y 19 r 20 J3 PatentedJan. 10, 1939 PATENT OFFICE GASKET SKID PLATE FOR HEARSES Earl L.Schofield, Freeport, Ill., assigner to Henny Motor Company, Freeport,Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application October 23,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to hearses, and is particularly concerned with animproved metal skid plate for the floor or casket table on which toslide the casket in loading and unloading.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a skid plate oftwo-piece construction consisting of a base plate arranged to be securedto the floor or table and a skid strip removably inserted in a recess inthe plate and serving to conceal the fastening screws, whereby topresent a neat and attractive appearance and also permit replacement ofthe skid strip in the event it gets scored from service.

Other objects of the invention will appear as reference is made to theaccompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a caskettable of a hearse, showing skid plates thereon made in accordance withmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a top View of one of the skid plates shown on a larger scale;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through the base of a skid plate,showing how it is fastened to the casket table by concealed screws, theskid strip appearing in side elevation in this view in an inclinedposition, as when being inserted or removed;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line l-- of Fig. 2, on a stillfurther enlarged scale, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5--5 of Fig. 4.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

Referring to Fig. l, the casket table E is intended for use in a sidedelivery hearse in which the table is movable forwardly and to eitherside for loading and unloading, and also usually movable rearwardly fromthe hearse for the same purpose, Such hearses being known as thethree-way service type. In loading and unloading, pins 'l in side plates8 serve mainly as guides, and when the casket has been placed on thetable approximately centrally, other pins 'I are ent-ered in the properholes in plates 9 at opposite ends of the table to serve as stays andprevent objectionable movement of the casket. There are twelve rubberrolln ers I!) mounted on the table E in pairs in longitudinally spacedrelation, as shown, and these support the casket for easy movement andat the same time absorb the noise that otherwise accompanied the rollingof caskets over metal rollers. It is between these pairs of rollers thatthe skid plates il of my invention are provided. They extendlongitudinally between the rollers, as shown, and serve to preventscraping or gouging the up- 1936, serial No. 107,260

holstered surface I2 of the table in case the casket is lowered unevenlyon the table. Now, of course, in an ordinary hearse not equipped with amovable table l5, the floor of the hearse is equipped with rollers likethe rollers Iii, similarly located, and, in such hearses, skid plates IIare fastened directly to the floor between the rollers similarly locatedwith respect thereto, as herein shown, whereby to protect theupholstered surface of the hearse floor in the event the casket islowered unevenly onto the floor or is not removed from the hears-ecarefully. In either type of hearse, the skid plates will extend closeup to the rollers so that the edges of the casket cannot come in contactwith the hardware on the table or floor of the hearse, as the case maybe. Obviously, these plates will be set high enough to prevent thecasket from touching the upholstered surface of the table or floorbetween the rollers, the rollers themselves being relied upon to supportthe casket in its travel and afterward when retained by the bier pins.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5, each skid plate II comprises a base plateI3 and a skid strip I4.

The base plate I3 is preferably, though not necesl sarily, a die castingand has a plurality of longitudinally spaced hollow cylindrical bossesI5 formed on the bottom thereof interconnected by a longitudinal rib I6.A longitudinal groove I'I in the rib I5 interconnects the vertical boresI8 of the bosses I5. Now, the skid strip Ill has a complem'entarylongitudinal rib I9 on the bottom thereof interconnecting a plurality oflongitudinally spaced pin projections 2U, and the rib i9 is arranged tot in the groove Il while the pin I projections 20 are arranged to enterthe bores I8, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. The rib I9v is purposelymade under size with relation to the groove Il, and the same is true ofthe pin projection 2S with relation to the bores I 8, so that the skidstrip will be assured of easy assembling or disassembling. However, aclose enough iit to prevent side or end play of the skid strip Itrelative to the base plate I3 is assured by the provision ofdiametrically opposed longitudinal beads 2| on the sides of the pinprojections Ztl. These beads project suliiciently to have an easysliding fit in the bores I8 of the bosses I5, thereby keeping the skidstrip Hi nicely located centrally with relation to the base plate I 3,but at the same time permitting the raising up of one end of the strip,as by entry of a knife blade or finger nail under one end of the strip,when it is desired to remove the skid strip, as, for example. to replacea worn or scored one with a new one. The skid strip is also preferably,though not necessarily, a die casting. The ends of the strip arerounded, as at 22, to prevent snagging in the event the end of a casketshould come into abutment with the end of the strip. The roundedsurfaces 22 Will cause the casket to ride up on tcp of the strip andavoid damage either to the casket or skid plate. The casket table G isgrooved, as at 23, to accommodate the bosses i while the rest of theplate i3 rests on the upholstered surface i2 of the table. In a similarway, the floor of a hearse will be grocved to take skid plates. Screws24 entered through holes 25 in the bottoms of the bosses i5 serve tofasten the base plate I3 securely in place, and, of course, the heads ofthese screws will be cover-ed by the projections 2i) when the skid stripI6 is in place, and in that way no screws are left visible. The platedsurfaces of the base plate i3 and skid strip I4 present an unusuallyneat and attractive appearance, and one cannot tell from even closeinspection of the skid plates that the strips ifi thereof are separable;the skid plates appear to be of one-piece construction.

I claim:

l. A casket skid plate for hearses comprising a base plate adapted to besecured to a casket support, said base plate having a plurality ofsubstantially circular recesses provided therein in iongitudinallyspaced relation, said base plate having screw holes provided therein inthe bottoms of at least some of said recesses, adapted to receivefastening screws for securing the base plate to the support, and a skidmember supported on top of said base plate, the same having pin-likeprojections thereon in longitudinally spaced relation on the bottomthereof adapted to be detachably slidably engaged substantially theirfull lengths in said recesses, whereby frictionally to hold said skidmember in place on said base plate and alst.` conceal said fasteningscrews besides preventing longitudinal displacement of the skid memberrelative to the base plate under the end thrust imposed thereon when acasket is slid along the same.

2. A skid plate comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to asupport, said base plate having a plurality of circular recessesprovided therein in longitudinally spaced relation, said base platehaving screw holes provided therein in the bottoms of said recessesadapted to receive fastening screws for securing the base plate to thesupport, and a skid member supported on top of said base plate, the samehaving substantially cylindrical pin projections thereon arranged to bedetachably engaged in said recesses to hold said skid member in place onsaid base plate and also conceal said fastening screws, said projectionsbeing of smaller diameter than said recesses but having longitudinalbeads provided on diametrically opposite sides thereof on linestransversely relative to said skid member adapted slidably to engage theopposite sides of said recesses.

3. A casket skid plate for hearses comprising a base plate adapted to besecured to a casket suppcrt,v said base plate having a plurality ofsubstantially circular recesses provided therein in longitudinallyspaced relation, said base plate having screw holes provided therein inthe bottoms of at least some of said recesses adapted to receivefastening screws for securing the base plate to the support, and a skidmember supported on top of said base plate, the same having pin-likeprojections thereon in longitudinally spaced relation on the bottomthereof adapted to be detachably slidably engaged substantially theirfull lengths in said recesses, whereby frictonally to hold said skidmember in place on said base plate and also conceal said fasteningscrews besides preventing longitudinal displacement of the skid memberrelative to the base plate under the end thrust imposed thereon when acasket is slid along the same, said base plate also having alongitudinal groove provided in the top thereof interconnecting saidrecesses, and said skid member having a longitudinal rib on the bottomthereof interconnecting and laterally reenforcing said projections atthe points of their connection to the bottom of the skid member, saidrib being entered in said groove.

4. A skid plate comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to asupport, said base plate having a plurality of circular recessesprovided therein in longitudinally spaced relation, said base platehaving screw holes provided therein in the bottoms of said recessesadapted to receive fastening screws for securing the base plate to thesupport, and a skid member supported on top of said base plate, the samehaving substantially cylindrical pin projections thereon arranged to bedetachably engaged in said recesses to hold said skid member in place onsaid base plate and also conceal said fastening screws, said projectionsbeing of smaller diameter than said recesses but having longitudinalbeads provided on diametrically opposite sides thereof on linestransversely relative to said skid member adapted slidably to engage theopposite sides of said recesses, said 1oase plate also having alongitudinal groove provided in the top thereof interconnecting saidrecesses, and said skid member having a longitudinal rib on the bottomthereof interconnecting said projections, said rib adapted to be enteredin said groove.

5. In a skid plate, the combination of a base plate adapted to besecured to a support, and a skid member arranged to be supportedremovably on top of said base plate while held against endwise movementwith respect thereto, the base plate having a plurality oflongitudinally spaced recesses provided therein and the skid memberhaving a plurality of correspondingly longitudinally spaced projectionsfor slidable entry in said recesses, the projections and recesses beingso constructed to permit pivotal movement of the skid member about oneend thereof as a fulcrum upwardly from its operative position on thebase plate prior to withdrawal of the adjacent end most projection fromthe endmost recess so as to facilitate withdrawal of the projectionsfrom the recesses and removal of the skid member from the base plate.

6. A skid plate comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to asupport, said base plate having a plurality of circular recessesprovided therein in longitudinally spaced relationy said base platehaving screw holes provided therein in the bottoms of said recessesadapted to receive fastening screws for securing the base plate to thesupport, and a skid member supported on top of said base plate, the samehaving substantially cylindrical pin projections thereon arranged to bedetachably engaged in said recesses to hold said skid member in place onsaid base plate and also conceal said fastening screws, said projectionsbeing of smaller diameter than said recesses but having longitudinalbeads provided on the sides thereof adapted slidably to engage the sidesof said recesses, the beads terminating short of the lower ends of theprojections.

7. A skid plate comprising a base plate adapted to be secured to asupport, said base plate having a plurality of circular recessesprovided therein in longitudinally spaced relation, said base platehaving screw holes provided therein in the bottoms or" said recessesadapted to receive fastening screws for securing the base plate to thesupport, and a skid member supported on top of said base plate, the samehaving substantially cylindrical pin projections thereon arranged to bedetachably engaged in said recesses to hold said skid member in place onsaid base plate and also conceal said fastening screws, said projectionsbeing of smaller diameter than said recesses but having longitudinalbeads provided on the sides thereof adapted slidably to engage the sidesof said recesses, said base plate also having a longitudinal grooveprovided in the top thereof interconnecting said recesses, and said skidmember having a longitudinal rib on the bottom thereof interconnectingsaid projections, said rib adapted to be entered in said groove.

EARL L. SCHOFIELD.

